Retort furnace



Patented Nesi. 1 7, 1925.

OWEN DAVID LUCAS, FI LONDON, ENGLAND, .ASSIGNOR TO VICKERS -LItlI'lElD, OF

BROADWAY, WESTMINSTER, ENGLAND, A BRITISH COMPANY.

Ramona' FURNACE.

.Application filed March 31, 1924. Serial No. 703,309.

T0 allzeit-0m t may concern.'

Be it 'known 'that I, GWEN DAVID LUCAS, a subject ot the King of Great Britain, resid-l ing at 49 Linden Gardens, London, W., Enga 5 land, have invented certa-in new and useful Improvements in Retort Furnaces, of which the following' is a specification.'

lThis invention relates to'a'n improvedV kiln or retort furnace oit' the horizontal rot-ary type. Previously it has been proposed in retortsof this type to use a cylinder mounted with its'axis approximately horizontal and adapted to be rotated, the heat necessary for the distillation of the material to be treated being obtained either by internal combustion o r by externally heating the retort. In the first case, construetional diiiieulties are not serious` but the system hasthe disad` vantage that the products of combustion mix With the products of distillation. In the second case, the size otl the retort is limited by the difficulty of making a cylinder sufficiently rigid as not to distort under heat, and at the same Itimel suiiiciently thin to transmit the external heat to the interior.'

According `to the present invention there is employed an external heat insulated' cylinder :mounted vn-Yitlif-its yaxis horizontal or,-

a'pproximately so an inner cylinder mounted axially within'the outer one so as to leave an annular space. rglhisn inner cylinder is supported and earriedy` by the outer cylinder, andthe supports may beiitted axially for its Whole length or circumfen entially at intervals. The heat is 'applied to the annular space between 'thetwo cylinders, the Whole system rotating as one unit.

The outer cylinder may terminate at one end in amoderately close-fitting and non rotary casing which contains the heat producing apparatus which may be in the form of gas burners (with or Without, compressed air) oil burners, pulverized fuel Aburners or the like. The .combustion system is arranged so that the flame is projected yinto the annular space between the two cylinders and the inner cylindermayl be protected fora short portion of its length at the combustion casing end by suitable refractory material forming a non-rotating parto-f the system.

Instead of the combustion taking place at one endv 'only the heat may be introduced at intervals over the lengthof the retort by suitable burners placed outside the main cylinder' and rotating with it, these burners bust-ible material and air.'

being connected to axial supply pipes at the ends of the retort.' for gasor other com- In order that the said invention may beA clearly understood and readily carried into effect, the same will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a vertical axial section of the left'hand portion of a retort constructed in G5 accordance with this invent-ion, A

Figure 2 is a continuation of Figure 1 showing the right hand portion of the retort. and' Figure 3 is a section taken approximately 70 on the line 3, 3 of Figure 1.

A is the outer cylinder provided with a layer of brickwork or other suitable refractory material and B is the inner cylinder mounted axially Within the outer cylinder A with an annular space A1 between them. The said cylinders are connected together,

=.so as to rotate as oneunit, by supports or carriers B1, 'B1 which as shown are arranged radially but which might be ar- 80 rangedlongitudinally. At therright hand/ end of the retort a stationary-casing C is provided which projects slightly and with a moderately close fit into the contiguous end of the said` outer cylinder. This casing carries the heat producing apparatus comprising burners c, c for projecting flames into the annular space 'A1 between the cylinders. These burners may be gas burners (with 'or Without compressed air), oil 90 burners or pulverizedfuel burners orf-the like. Alternatively the flames may, as aforesaid, be introduced at intervals over the length of the outer cylinder A by suitable burners placed outside the sa-id'cylinderand 95 rotating' With it, the said burners being connected to axial supply pipes for the combustible material. which pipes are situated at one or both ends of the retort. The-said casing C has a projecting inner portion C1 100 serving to protect the contiguous conical portion of the inner cylinder B. this projecting .portion being composed of suitable refrac- A2 with which meshes a pinion driven by 11@ a suitable prime mover to rotate the unit composed 'of the o'uter and inner cylinders, the outer cylinder being supported on suitable rollers a, a as is Well understood. Y

'Ihe inner ycylinder l.B is gradually reduced i'n diameter at each end to form smaller `cylinders Zi, b1 projecting through the combustion casing/C and through the flue casing D"respectively. The said small cyl-` inder?) projects through a gland carried yby a stationarycasing B2 into which the ash or coke discharges and from which the products of combustion pass through tlie pipe b2. The lower end of this casing B2 is provided With a hand operated discharge' a discharge screw BG at the other. end ofv the retort are niounted oii-an axial tube B7 carrying suitable breakers and conveyors- 6"' which, at certain points in therotation of the tube B7,come into contact with the inner ysurface of the inner cylinder B so as to act as scrapers to prevent the forma- -tion of scale on the said inner Wall. This tube is connected at each end -to the casings B2 and B3 so that it remains stationary during the rotation ofthe cylinders A and B. The said tube is also perforated as shown so that steam admitted to the-said tube from a supply pipe B8 and controlled by a sto valve b can be admitted to the inner cylinder B. The said breakers 727 are retainedfin position axially by means of bars 'B9 at the vends of the inner cylinder B. `The said tube B74 may also. serve to 'carry lpyrometers or other means of ascertaining the internal temperature at various points in the length of the retort.

Itwill be observed that the 'direction of flow of the material through the retort is opposite to that of the travel` of the flame and products of combustion from the burn- .v ers 0 in the annular space A1. When the retort is not arranged horizontally it may be inclined somewhat from the horizontal with the combustion casing end lovver than the flue casingend.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the `United States is ascissa 1. In a .retit furnace,`-,the Combination of a rotary heat insulated cylinder, a second rotary cylinder mounted Within the former cylinder so asto leave.v annular space bei stationary member located Within vsaid secl ond cylinder, and breaker and conveyor elements carried by said stationary member.

` 2.y In a retort furnace, the combination Vof a'rotary heat insulated cylinder, a second rotary cylinder mounted Within the former cylinder so as to leave an annular space between vit and the first-mentioned "cylinder, the material tobe treated passing through the second cylinder and the heating medium passing through said annular space, a stationary member located Within said second cylinder, and breaker and conveyor elements carried by said stationary member, said elements at certain points in the rotation of the cylinders coming into contact with the inner Wall of the second cylinder to prevent the formation of scale thereon.

3. In a retort furnace, the combination ot' a rotary7 heat insulated cylinder, a second rotary cylinder mounted Within the former cylinder so as to leave an annular space betweenit and the first mentioned cylinder, the material to be treated passing through the second cylinder and the heating medium passing through said annular space, a stationary' perforated tube supplied with steam andflocated Within said second cylinder, and breaker and conveyor elements carried by said tube. i

4. In a retort furnace', the combination of a rotary `heat insulated cylinder, a sccond rotary cylinder mounted Within the former cylinder so as to leave an lannular space between it and the first-mentioned cylloo inder, the material to .be treated passing vthrough the second cylinder and the heating medium passing through said annular space, a stationary perforated tube supplied With steam and located within said second cylinder, and breaker and conveyor elements.

carried by said tube, said elements at certain points inthe rotation of-the cylinders coming into contact -With the inner Wall of the second cylinder to prevent the formation of scale thereon.

V- OWEN, navin Lucas.

Ill) 

